Automatic railway-signal



(No Model.)

H. V. MILLER. AUTGMATIG RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 562,639. Patented June 23, 1896.

.fh-FEET Ivq Ens-r a Q f3. m, "H -1 www ANDREW E GRIMM. Plimcimxowtmmunt.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY V. MILLER, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ONEIL CROSSING ALARM COMPANY, OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,639, dated June 23, 1896.

Application led May 1, 1896. Serial No. 589,813. (No model.)

To LU whom, it 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY V. MILLER@ citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomiugton, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, haveinvented a newr and useful Improvement in Automatic Railway-Signal.s, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to railway alarms or signals in which the depression of the rail when a train of cars passes is employed to operate or set in operation the alarm or signaling device, and the object of my invention is to provide a 1n eans by which an operatinglever may be adj usted to the rail, and always held lirmly in the same relative position to the rail.

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which* Figure l is an end View; Fig. 2, a plan view, and Fig. 3 a sectional view on line 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Lilie letters refer to like parts in the several views.

In the drawings, A represents the rail,whieh is supported firmly by cross pieces -or ties B B.

The base of the rail A is engaged by one end of a lever C. The lever C is held in a box or frame D, which is provided with a standard fz, which forms a fulcrum for the lever C.

The boXI) is provided with flan ges f f, which act as a support for the box upon blocks g g, to which the box is securely fastened. The blocks g g rest upon a cross-bar II, which crossbar is bolted to the ties B B by bolts o o. The blocks g g are bolted to the cross-bar II by bolts 7.: 71;. vWhen secured to the cross-bar Il, the bloclcs g g are free from the base of the rail, as shown in Figs. l and 3, thus leaving the rail at this point free to be depressed by the Weight of a train of cars When passing.

The lever O is provided With a regulatingscrew fm, by which the position of the lever may be regulated. The opposite end of the lever C may engage a spring Z, as shown in Fig. 3, when this end of the lever is raised by the depression of the other end of the lever.

The operation of the device is apparent from the above description and the drawings. The

nf'eiglit of train passing upon the rail at the point Where the lever C engages the rail causes '5 o a depression of the rail at this point. The depression of the rail presses down the shorter arm of the lever, and when the longer arm of the lever is raised thereby, a contact with the spring Z is made and an electric circuit is 5 5 closed thereby, and an electrical alarm set in operation.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings the lever is shown as employed to close a circuit in an electrical alarm. Ido not, however, limit my invention 6o to its use with an electrical alarm, as it is manifest that the operation of the lever,

actuated by the depression of the rail, may be used With many other automatic signals or alarms. Where the depression of the rail has heretofore been employed to operate an alarm or signal, it has been customary to rest the box or frame containing the lever upon the ties, which ties rested upon the ground. The result has been that the lever was un- 7o reliable. The ties were liable to be flisturbed by unskilled track-hands, or by the frost or the Weight of the train upon the roadbed, and any movement of the ties holding the track-box would interfere with the ad 75 justnient of the lever and render it useless.

By means of the device described the lever will always maintain the same relative position to the rail and Will become a reliable means of operating a signal or alarm.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

l. In a railway signal or alarm, .in coinbi nation With the rail supported by ties B, B, a cross-bar attached to the ties B, B, blocks g, S5 g, attached to the cross-bar and being free from the base of the rail, and a lever actuated by the depression of the rail and held in a suitable frame or box resting upon the blocks g, g, substantially as and'for the purposes de- 9o scribed.

2. In a railway signal or alarm, in combination With the rail supported by ties B B, a cross-bar attached to the ties B, B, blocks g,

g, attached to the crossbar, a lever provided with adjusting-screw m, actuated by the depression of the rail and heldv in a suitable frame D provided with standard fi and conframe or box resting upon the blocks g, g, taet-spring l, substantially as shown and desubstzmtially as shown :md for the purposes scribed.

HENRY V. MILLER.

described. 5 3. In a. railway signal or alarm, in eomb'ilVituesses:

nation with the rail and ties or supports B B, T. C. VAN HORNE,

the cross-bar H, blocks g, g, lever C and its GHAS. ONGLEY. 

